N.J. man guilty in California hammer attack on man who owed him money

A Hudson County man is facing a decade in prison after being found guilty of attempted murder for a 2015 hammer attack in northern California, officials announced.

Adam Kendall, 28, of Harrison, was convicted on Sept. 5 in Mendocino County court for an assault in Covelo that left a 40-year-old man with serious injuries, California authorities said.

On May 16, police were called to a neighborhood about 175 miles north of San Francisco on reports of one man beating another with a hammer. Kendall ran from police when they arrived, authorities said at the time.

Kendall was found hiding in a trailer a short time later and surrendered to police. Authorities say the 28-year-old had flown to California the same day as the assault with the purpose of attacking the victim over an unpaid debt.

The victim's injuries included a broken eye socket and wrist, police said.

Kendall is expected to be sentenced on Thursday, The Ukiah Daily Journal reported.